Hi All

I'm from Singapore and am having thoughts about emigrating to Vancouver in the next 2
years. I would very much like to hear from persons living in Vancouver about your
lives. There are plenty of websites in Canada about how to invest, what to do as
tourists, but I would like to know more about the way you live. What do you do on
weekends? What are your expenses like? What worries you most? How safe is the city?

There are many more questions and I'm hoping that there will be a kind soul over in
Vancouver who can help me find these answers - not just once, but on a regular basis.

In return, you can gain insights into what life is like over here in our tiny
speck in the South China Sea, and will probably find a good friend in me when I
finally arrive!

For information, my wife and I are Chinese by race, but we really speak mostly
English (especially me - I can't speak much Chinese!). I'm a Project/QA Manager while
my wife is a Bank Officer, and we have two daughters, one 2 years old, the other due
in December.

Will the kind souls please help?

Thanks a million!

Christopher Tan Singapore

Vancouver is a beautiful city, and I've found much to do there. I don't know much
about Singapore, so I can't do much contrasting, though I've heard Singapore is one
of the cleanest and safest cities in the world. Vancouver is fairly clean and safe,
but you should lock your doors at night anyway. Hastings street is home to a lot of
the homeless people and drug culture, and Surrey, south of Vancouver is known
partially for its crime. Don't let this scare you off, just be more cautious around
these areas. Living in Vancouver is pretty cheap, compared to where I'm living now.
The excellent transportation services available make living much cheaper, since
gasoline is so expensive. There is much to do around Vancouver--skiing, boating,
dancing, sports, etc. www.mybc.com is a good source for entertainment. The thing
that really stood out for me is the food in Vancouver. Lots of great places to eat
or shop for groceries. Videomatica and Tom's Video are good places to rent movies.
Hope that helps!

--Ivanhoe Buy my art! http://ivan.hoe.org/

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http://www.vancouver.hm is a website written by a local Vancouver resident who
immigrated to Canada at a young age. While he does write for visitors, his
information also gives you a good idea of a local's perspective of Vancouver. Some of
your questions will be answered on that website.

Some userful resources

http://www.relocatecanada.com http://www.canadaho.com http://www.knowcanada.com

Other good sites - general purpose are :

http://www.vancouver.hm http://www.van.net (local newspapers etc.)

Remember however - Vancouver is the most expensive city in Canada. There is a large
ethnic chinese community here so you may not feel too much out of place.

Good luck!